The Villa of Livia

The villa of Livia or villa of Prima Porta is an archaeological site in Rome, which corresponds to the ancient villa of Livia Drusilla, wife of the emperor Augustus.

Here, among the very important findings, the famous statue of Augustus Loricato was also found.

The villa has inside walls painted in the garden with a pictorial technique superior to that of many Pompeian paintings; most of the small scenes that adorned the painted walls are made with the so-called compendiary, that is, summarizing technique. These frescoed gardens were intended to bring spectators back to a serene and sunny landscape, rather than gloomy as the day presented itself.

The villa is mentioned by Pliny, Suetonius and Cassio Dione. In particular, there is also a poetic legend about its foundation, according to which an eagle would have dropped a hen with a sprig of laurel in its beak on the belly of Livia.

Recommended by the haruspices, she raised the offspring of the bird and planted the branch generating a wood, from which the emperors gathered the twigs to hold in their hands during the battles.

Due to the legend, the villa was also called ad gallinas albas. According to Pliny, the villa was located on the 9th mile of the Via Flaminia.

The first excavations of the site date back to 1863-1864, when the statue of Augustus of Prima Porta was discovered, today in the Vatican Museums and some underground rooms, such as the famous hypogeum with garden frescoes.

In 1944 a bomb damaged the underground hall, also used by the military as a bivouac. After the war it was decided to remove the precious paintings (1951), which were transferred to the National Roman Museum where they are still found today.

Only in 1973 the villa was expropriated to private owners, creating a public park, and in 1982 the restoration of the surviving structures began. Recently the frescoes, the main attraction of the site, have been reproduced in faithful panels placed on the original site.

Map: The Villa of Livia